


Catch'n'Release

by Introverted_Cupcake_x



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Oneshot, Pre-Canon, Sad Lance (Voltron), Short Story, This was before season 3 came out but I saw the trailer, so of course I had to write something and see how wrong I make their personalities OTL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 08:45:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11181180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Introverted_Cupcake_x/pseuds/Introverted_Cupcake_x
Summary: During a dangerous direct attack on the Galran Empire, Lance gets captured and meets with the new stand-in leader, Prince Lotor.





	Catch'n'Release

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on Tumblr originally and I was surprised at how many people liked it. It was only an interpretation into Lotor's possible behaviour to Lance, but I think it's well-received despite many other people already cluing into Lotor possibly manipulating Lance's low self-esteem. I guess it all depends how you write the stories.

“Come on, you gotta let me go help my friends!” Lance pleaded and yanked at the restraints pinning his wrists together behind his back and rattled the chain melded to the wall. “I need to get back to them! They can’t win without me!”

“And what? For what they’ve done to my father?” Lotor sniffed, “he is likely dead because of your people. If you had all just surrendered peacefully, then we wouldn’t have this many needless deaths.”

“What’s one death against MILLIONS?” Lance roared with a snarl, even shocking Lotor, “that man is the reason so many are suffering! He’s the reason so many people across the galaxy lost their friends and family! What’s more important than both?!” His adversary frowned, but remained cool. 

“With only one ruler for all, there will be no conflict,” he explained softly, “there must be a ruler. There must be someone who can overlook all affairs over the galaxy and her quadrants and prevent conflict.” 

“He’s not doing a good job of it!” Lance hissed, frustration growing with the steel clasped around his wrists painfully digging into his skin as he kept trying to work them out of it, “can’t you see that not every planet wants a dictator to rule over them?! They want freedom from the Galran Empire! Being ruled over and oppressed isn’t what everyone wants!” His furious tone weakened to pleading; “There were people like him back on my home planet in the past and even now who wiped out millions of people just because they want to be treated the same as everyone else! People like mine just want to live in peace to do what they want without being punished for living freely!” Lotor stared at him, but shut his mouth and approached Lance until he was a meter away.

“The illusion of choice is dangerous,” he murmured close to him, “it’s because of that belief why people like my father want to rule. Nothing can stop him. Not even you, your team, Voltron…” he said that last word dreamily, “Voltron is nothing without you there. But I do feel inclined to keep you alive even after once my father holds dominion over everything.”

“What?” Lance stopped struggled and met his odd gaze.

“The illusion of choice is dangerous,” he reiterated, “hence why my status can allow me to do absolutely anything I want…” he reached over and tentatively stroked his finger against Lance’s cheek, making him shudder and retreat from his touch until his back hit the wall, eyes suddenly fearful. The reaction made him laugh a little. “Yet, I feel like treating you as though you’re a maiden.”

“U-uh that’s nice, thanks,” Lance babbled, “but I kinda want to go back to my team…?” Lotor chuckled.

“I’m surprised that prisoners still ask to be released in spite of their circumstances,” he smiled wryly. “But the answer is no. I cannot release you because you are an integral part of the team.”

Worry melted from Lance’s face as he just smiled coldly.

“Yeah, right.”

Now it was Lotor’s turn to be confused.

“What?”

“I’m not that important,” he sighed. Up until this point, his body was tense from struggling to free himself from the captors, but now that he said that line he just leaned against the wall and stared ahead, not quite focused. All adrenaline left him as weak as a kitten. “I mean… I’m pretty annoying, I flirt with a lot of girls and get dumped by every single one, I got below-average grades, Keith hates me, my only redeeming point is that I can shoot really well. Why would you think I’m the best in the best?” 

“I… I didn’t say you’re the best–”

“Of course you didn’t!” Lance burst out, nerves shaking faster than his anxiety, “I’m never the best at anything! I got caught by the enemy! I failed my mission because I can’t work on my own!” His throat burned like his eyes. “I literally NEVER had anything to call my own except for my toothbrush, clothes and the Blue Lion! Do you have any idea what it’s like to be alone after being around people for a long time?! It gets lonely and I LOVE it but my friends are in danger and now I want nothing more than to just get us altogether and never leave their side!”

Lotor said nothing, just watching the Paladin fall apart and hunch over, noticing his tears drip to the metal ground beneath his quivering form. His gasps and sniffles couldn’t be suppressed.

Kneeling down, he touched his shoulder and he made no move to shake it off.

“Yes. I know what it’s like to be lonely,” Lotor said. Just as Lance rose his head to yell at him he wrapped his arms around him and pressed something into his hand, gently closing his fingers over something metallic. “Living on the whims of my father’s wishes was what I’ve done for my whole life. I have no mother or friends. It was improper of me to have friends outside my social circle, so I believed that my father was all that I need to be happy, but his obsession with Voltron ruined everything…” The hug tightened and Lance wasn’t sure if it was out of hatred or a need for comfort. If he could, he’d hug him back.

“Then why can’t you convince your father to give up?” Lance spoke, voice hoarse from crying, “the worst thing that can happen to him is imprisonment. Princess Allura wouldn’t be that cold to get him executed.” He knew deep down he was lying.

“Once my father is set in his ideals, he seeks to turn them into reality,” Lotor said grimly, holding Lance’s hands together. “Like I said, it’s his obsession. Voltron is the strongest thing in the entire galaxy, which makes it the only thing that can grant his selfish wishes. But you already know that it takes five pilots to control it. Five out of TRILLIONS of beings throughout the galaxy, and the Blue Lion chose you. So…” Arms still around the pilot, he smiled at Lance. “Are you going to argue with a Lion about his choice of friends, little Mouse?” He broke the hug and stood up, walking away. “The Blue Lion is in the hangar where we apprehended you. As soon as the lights and security alarms go out, you have 5 minutes to get to it.”

Lance stared at him shock as he finally realised that he is holding something key-shaped in his own hand and immediately began to pick his own lock.

“So… why?”

Lotor didn’t look at him.

“Can you promise me that you’ll apprehend my father and keep him alive so that he can be forced to see the error of his ways?”

“I don’t know if I–”

“Please.”

Lance’s heart lurched and he swallowed a lump in his throat.

“I promise,” he said and almost cursed when the restraint on his wrists clicked and broke apart loudly. He got to his feet and watched Lotor turn to smile at him from over the door’s threshold.

“Patience, Lance,” he joked and his expression. “But in spite of never having anyone close in my life, will you be willing to become my consort?”

Lance gulped and his cheeks flared.

“U-uh I’ll have to get back to you on that later!” he stuttered and scratched his hair, “so when do the security things break?”

Lotor simply put his finger to his own lips and winked before the door closed with a hissing noise and Lance fell to his knees, feeling exhaustion try to claim him.

‘Is this how girls feel when I flirt with them?’ he thought, inhaling slow breaths to calm his heart rate which only bounced up again when the lights suddenly switched off and the doors automatically opened.


End file.
